Listen to the first song off of Dean Blunt’s The Redeemer

We’ve heard that Blunt’s forthcoming solo LP, The Redeemer, would lift “the veil of tape hiss and blurred signifiers” of his previous work — we just didn’t know to what extent.

‘Papi’ sees Blunt as crooner, a role he wears surprisingly well. The song is a swaying orchestration of piano, strings, and gently brushed percussion, and ends on an ominous yet romantic note: a crowd begins a countdown, but to what, we don’t know. Stream the song below.

The Redeemer is due out on May 1 through Hippos In Tanks and World Music, the imprint Blunt launched last year with fellow Hype Williams compatriot Inga Copeland.